IAWJ Insider News - February 2019

IAWJ Insider News MAKE A DIFFERENCE. JOIN US. DONATE TODAY. February 2019

A message from the President... Dear IAWJ Members, Late last month I had the honor of attending the Closing Ceremony of our second 3-year program on human trafficking in Haiti. The energy, dedication and creativity of the judges of CHAIFEJ have resulted in numerous judicial training sessions, collaboration with police and service providers for survivors of trafficking and public education and awareness campaigns. They have brought an approach that is informed by and oriented toward the human survivors of trafficking. This is an inspiring example of judicial leadership. Our gratitude to CHAIFEJ President Hon. Mimose Janvier and Project Leader Hon. Maguy Florestal and to IAWJ staff members Jane Charles-Voltaire and Anne Goldstein who have provided continuous valuable support for the project. IAWJ's work on human trafficking continues apace. We hope to continue our work not only in Haiti but also to expand it throughout the region. IAWJ Board member Justice Esther Agelan, Dominican Republic, is leading a project, also with the support of IAWJ staff, with the goal of convening a region-wide conference on human trafficking this summer involving 9 countries and territories from Latin America and the Caribbean. [From left to right, top to bottom, Hon. Régine Marcelle Cyril, Hon. Maguy Florestal, Hon. Joceline Cazimir, Hon. Grecias Norceus, Hon. Gertha Elias, Hon. Emmanuella Saint-Pierre, Hon. Geraldine Lalanne, Hon. Tatiana Bernadel Toussaint, Hon. Magarette Georges Toussaint, Hon. Vanessa Ruiz, Hon. Esther Agelan Casasnovas, Hon. Mimose Janvier] As you will read in this Newsletter, IAWJ members and member associations around the world have been conducting training sessions, writing opinion pieces about discriminatory laws and domestic violence, and testifying on the conditions that affect women prisoners and their families. At this time, members of the Asia/Pacific region are meeting at the IAWJ Regional Conference in Panglao Island hosted by the Philippines Association of Women Judges, with the evocative theme Justice in the Hearts of Women. Other regional meetings are scheduled during the next 6 months. It is these continuing and myriad initiatives in different countries and regions that we wish to share within our network so we can learn from and collaborate with each other. 1

A message from the President... And we are busily engaged in preparations for the session next month at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. We are taking advantage of this occasion to hold IAWJ's Board of Directors meeting in New York City at the same time. We will be reporting on the outcome of these events in the March Newsletter. With my warm regards, Hon. Vanessa Ruiz IAWJ President 2

Latest News Within the UNODC's Global Judicial Integrity Network, judicial and legal experts from different regions created Draft Guidelines on the Use of Social Media by Judges, based on existing regional and national standards and experiences. The UNODC wants you to give them your input and comments on this draft until 28 March 2019. You will need to register here to access the Draft Guidelines. You will be able to submit comments via their online query system. UNODC will compile the comments received and update the guidelines. The new text will be presented at the next High-Level Meeting of the Global Judicial Integrity Network on 18 and 19 November in Doha, Qatar. The IAWJ is a partner of the Network. The Tunisian Association of Women Judges conducted a training for 40 women judges on international humanitarian law and international human rights law in January. The Association of Women Judges of Spain released a statement titled \"Without Women, There Are No Human Rights.\" The statement has been featured in several Spanish news outlets. You can read a summary of the statement on our website. Former IAWJ President, Hon. Susana Medina, joined Palestinian judges for a women judges and prosecutors empowerment event organized by members of the IAWJ at Ramallah. The Indian government informed that women barely constitute 7% of the total judges in all 25 high courts across the country. The Tanzania Women Judges Association organized, with UN Women, a forum on the promotion and protection of women's access to justice in Tanzania. The International Anti-Corruption Conference, in the Copenhagen Declaration: Stand Together for Peace, Security and Development from October 2018 recognized that \"gendered corruption, including sextortion, is an aggravated type of corruption that deepens gender inequality, hinders the empowerment of women and constitutes a clear violation of human rights. New and disaggregated data on the impact of corruption on women is urgently needed. Gender perspectives should be mainstreamed in anti-corruption public policy design, implementation and monitoring.\" 3

Resource of the month The Global Women's Institute at George Washington University, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the World Bank Group launched a Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Resource Guide with basic information on the characteristics and consequences of VAWG. It also offers guidance on how to integrate VAWG prevention and the provision of quality services to violence survivors within a range of development projects. Lastly, it recommends strategies for integrating VAWG into policies and legislation, as well as sector programs and projects. Women Judges in the Spotlight Hon. Rehema Kerefu, Hon. Barke Sehel, Hon. Dr. Mary Levira, and Hon. Winifrida Beatrice Korosso have been appointed to Tanzania's highest court, the Court of Appeals. Hon. Ayesha A. Malik and Hon. Alia Neelum are members of the new Committee for Protection of Women Judges in Lahore, Pakistan. Justice Malik is the head of the Committee. Hon. Lara Esteve, member of the Spanish Association of Women Judges, was interviewed for Diario16 about the status and challenges of gender based violence courts and complaints in her country. Hon. Brenda Murray and Prof. Judith Resnik, members of the National Association of Women Judges, were among the committee assigned to brief the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights regarding how to evaluate the civil rights of women in prison. Hon. Lucia Avilés, from AMJE, wrote an OpEd titled \"Due diligence\", where she claims that creating and applying policies to eradicate violence against women are an obligation of the state. Hon. Francisca Zapata, President of the Association of Chilean Magistrates, was interviewed about the lack of promotions for women in the Chilean judiciary by La Tercera. 4

IAWJ Projects Update On January 25, 2019, our chapter in Haiti (CHAIFEJ) and the IAWJ held a ceremony in Port-au-Prince to mark the official closure of the three-year project \"Combating human trafficking in Haiti.\" The ceremony commemorated the work of CHAIFEJ members and partners from throughout the country. The project resulted in increased awareness among magistrates on the law against human trafficking, which was enforced in twenty cases with 6 judgements; increased awareness by police officers; and increased harmony between law enforcement and judges; as well promoted a change in the mindset of the population resulting in a net decrease of children in domestic servitude. Professional and Leadership Opportunities The UN is seeking judges for its Dispute Tribunal (UNDT), which is part of its internal system of administration of justice that addresses employment-related disputes. The deadline is March 31. UK Aid Direct is opening a new cycle of community partnership andimpact grant proposals for organizations based in their top 50 Least Developed Countries List or in the UK. The deadline is April 17. The European Commission is accepting proposals for preventing and combattng gender-based violence and preventing and combating violence against children. The deadline is June 13. Eligible countries: members of the European Union, Iceland and Serbia. More information here and here. End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI) is accepting workshop proposals for its International Conference on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Violence Across the Lifespan to \"promote innovative techniques, unique approaches, and promising practices in responding to gender-based violence.\" The deadline is May 1. More information here and here. 5

Upcoming Meetings and Conferences The IAWJ will host a delegation for the 63rd annual meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women from March 11 - 15, 2019, in New York, USA. IAWJ's Board of Directors meeting will take place March 16-17 in New York City, USA. IAWJ 2019 Europe, Middle East, and North Africa Regional Conference will be hosted by the Association of Women Judges of Spain (AMJE) on April 25 and 26 in Madrid, Spain. The theme of this conference will be: \"Justice with a Gender Perspective\". You can see the draft agenda here. The Annual Meeting of the Canadian Chapter of the IAWJ will be held in Halifax, Nova Scotia from April 30 to May 2, 2019. IAWJ 2019 Africa Regional Conference will be hosted by the Ivory Coast Section of the International Association of Women Judges from June 3 - 7 2019 in Abidjan. The theme is \"Unity, judicial cooperation and solidarity among the women judges in the implementation of sub-regional, regional and international laws.\" You can find the program of the conference here. Register here. The National Association of Women Judges' 41st Annual Meeting will take place in Los Angeles, California, US, from October 15 - 19, 2019. IAWJ 2019 Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Conference will be hosted by the Association of Women Judges of the Dominican Republic (AJURD), from November 23 - 25, 2019 in Punta Cana. IAWJ's 15th Biennial Conference: \"Celebrating Diversity\" will be hosted by the New Zealand Association of Women Judges (NZAWJ) in Auckland, Aotearoa, New Zealand from May 7 - 10, 2020. Don't forget to check out our Calendar of Events for more information! Please send us information about events, projects, resources, opportunities, and latest accomplishments to [email protected]! 6

For more information go to our website www.iawj.org or follow us on social media! @IntlWomenJudges @IntlWomenJudges International Association of Women Judges Tel: +1.202.223.4455 • email: [email protected]